If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, please contact me at treetop@voicenet.com. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. Sailor Sirius is the property of Sharon Williams. Any references to Vulcan are the province of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
The Adventures of Talia and Tanya:
Volley Into Danger
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Four
Rating: PG
The tense moment of silence didn't last very long as kids resumed laughing at Cynthia's expense as she stalked off. Chris, still grinning, walked up to the victorious team.
"Congratulations, Talia. You've just made an enemy for life," he said to the Vulcan girl. "Cynthia never forgives, or forgets when she's been dissed. In fact, you may have just replaced Ti at the top of her most hated list."
"I take it that is not cause for celebration," Talia said wryly.
"You take it right. But don't worry about it. She's all bark and no bite," said Chris with a grin. "I gotta say you played great. You were a natural."
"I'll second that," said a wiry, handsome Japanese man who approached the group. He held out his right hand to Talia. "I'm Masao Watanabe, captain of Japan's Olympic Volleyball team. You showed real skill, Miss. Have you been playing long?"
"Only for an hour, sir," Talia replied, shaking Masao's hand. "My name is Talia Kirk."
Masao looked stunned. "An....hour? Watching you out there, I thought you'd been playing for years. How did you pick up the sport so fast?"
"I learn quickly."
"No doubt. Well, I'm sure glad you came, Miss Kirk. A talent like yours doesn't come along every day," said Masao. "I see a lot of potential in you, and your friends. With some polish, the three of you could go far in our sport."
"Really? That's awesome!" cried Tanya.
"Yeah! Super cool!" Maddie added.
"Thank you very much," said the more reserved Talia.
Masao chuckled. "I just call 'em like I see 'em. See you around, ladies."
Watching the scene from twenty feet away, Cynthia seethed at seeing Tanya and the girls receiving praise from the captain of Japan's Olympic team. Praise Cynthia felt she was more deserving of, simply because of who she was. To have been ignored seriously annoyed her. She hated it when anyone upstaged her, least of all, her enemy.
"I am just going to have to do something about this," she muttered angrily. "Something permanent!"
Two miles upstream from the camp in a lushly wooded area, a full grown male deer cautiously came down to the bank of the river to drink. The male was thirsty and the water here was always cold and sweet.
Dipping its head, the male began to drank, enjoying the cool taste of the water as it slid down its throat. For the most part, the male was oblivious to the world as it slacked its thirst, and the large, ominous shadow from deep below the water, a shadow that grew larger as it neared the surface.
Still, the male continued to drink. It never knew it was in danger until it was already too late. The water suddenly exploded upwards in a foamy geyser, and the shadow that came from below, monstrous in its size enveloped the male before it could even think about escaping and was swallowed whole.
Then, all was silent. No trace of the deer was seen as the ripples on the surface of the water faded. Deep below the surface, the resident downed the animal in one gulp, easily shredding its flesh and grinding its bones with large, razor sharp teeth. At one time, the small animals that were foolish enough to venture to the shore satisfied it's appetite, but not anymore.
Ever since it tasted the flesh of the tiny pink animals, nothing else would suffice. It's desire to eat them became an obsession. With the irritating noises having interrupted its sleep, the resident needed to eat, but wants and needs were two different things to the resident as it hungered for the pink animals.
The resident decided it was have to venture further downstream, to the source of the noise to get what it so terribly craved.
As the crowd broke up, Aoki strolled off into the woods. Once he entered a clearing, he removed a cell phone from a belt clip and dialed a number.
"Tokyo P.D. Inspector Sakurada."
"Inspector, Konno here. I'm making my first report."
"Good. What do you have, Aoki?"
"Not much I'm afraid. I've spent the last couple of hours observing both Van Buren kids and found nothing out of the ordinary," the young patrolman replied. "Near as I could tell, Chris fancies himself a ladies' man while Cynthia's a first class drama queen who blew up after losing a volleyball game. I doubt they're involved with any sort of criminal activity. Do you want me to return?"
"No. Stick around and continue your surveillance. Perhaps something might happen tomorrow or Sunday. Check back with me this time on Saturday. You're doing good so far. I'll make sure you're recognized for it."
"Thank you, ma'am." And the call ended.
Putting his phone away, Aoki couldn't help but feel good about himself. He was on his first undercover assignment and everything was going well. On top of that, he had gotten praise from his temporary commander. The young patrolman looked forward to the weekend, hoping this case might catapult him into becoming a detective, his dream ever since he joined the force. A smile spread across Aoki's face as he returned to the lodge.
Tanya, in no mood to deal with Cynthia asked Talia to go on a walk with her down by the riverbank. For ten minutes, neither girl spoke as they walked, content just to enjoy the scenery, and each other's company. But the Vulcan girl sensed the turmoil her friend was experiencing. That deeply concerned her.
"As you humans are fond of saying: 'A penny for your thoughts'."
"You'd be wasting your money," Tanya morosely replied.
"I do not mind. You are thinking about Chris, I assume?"
Tanya looked at her friend, then turned her eyes towards the ground. "You're very perceptive. How'd you guess?"
"I am a Vulcan. I do not guess. I deduce. You have been unusually pensive ever since Chris showed up at our cabin this afternoon. It is time for total truth between us, Tanya. Chris was....special to you, was he not?"
"Uh-huh. He was my first real crush. We met in junior high back when I was living in New York. Chris was bright, witty, good looking and talented at volleyball. That was what attracted me to him. I liked him from jump street, and he liked me," Tanya explained. "We never actually dated, I mean, we were only thirteen at the time, but we hung out almost every day. We enjoyed being with each other and had lots of fun together. In some ways, Chris and I were buddies more than sweethearts, still, everyone at school knew we were an item."
"Did your relationship ever mature?"
"No. Chris's dad didn't like him spending so much time with a girl of another race and discouraged him from seeing me, but Chris disobeyed him. Cynthia already hated my guts after I 'stole' her position as captain of the girls' volleyball team, so she berated me every chance she got, saying someone of 'my kind' shouldn't be hanging around her brother."
Talia shook her head from dismay. "Most distressing. One would think that mankind would have evolved beyond bigotry by now," said Talia.
"Don't kid yourself, Tal. Prejudice is still alive and well in this world," Tanya grumbled. "How many times have you gotten double takes and suspicious glances when you've been out and about, just because you look different? Nothing personal, but pointed ears aren't exactly normal."
"Point taken. Forgive me if this next question is too personal, but did you want to be closer to Chris?"
"Yeah. I did. More than anything, I wanted to be his girlfriend. One afternoon, Chris told me that I was the best thing that ever happened to him. That was also the first time we kissed. Oh, Tal, it was like heaven. Despite the huge cultural gap between a rich white boy from the suburbs and a middle class, inner city black girl, Chris never saw the color of my skin, and I never saw his. Instead, we saw what was in our hearts, our feelings for each other."
Tanya paused to stare out at the water. Tears filled her eyes from old memories of her past. "If things hadn't changed, I'd be in love with Chris today. But it wasn't to be. A few months later, I left with my dad for Japan, regained the memories of my past life as Princess Tonicia Knightstar of Sirius, discovered I was a Sailor Scout, and met Yaten. Now, Chris is practically a stranger to me. My feelings for him are gone. And that hurts, Tal. That hurts so much!"
Hearing the pain in Tanya's voice, Talia wrapped the ebon girl in her arms and held her tight. "There is no need to be distraught, Tanya. You can always rely on me for support. My strength is yours. Whenever you need it."
Tanya, her aching heart soothed, nestled into Talia's warm embrace. "Thanks, Tal. Knowing you care means the world to me. I wouldn't have been comfortable talking about Chris with anyone but you. Not Serena, and definitely not Yaten. I feel much better for having gotten that off my chest."
"Then I am glad to have been your confidant."
Tanya looked into Talia's eyes. "You're so much more than that. You're my best friend. And I love you. I thank God each and every day that you're in my life. I need you, Tal. Please, don't ever leave me."
At first, Talia didn't know how to respond, fully aware that her time in Japan was dwindling down. In three months, she would have to return home. But looking into Tanya's huge, wet and pleading eyes made telling her that impossible. For the first time in her life, knowing she would regret it later, Talia decided to lie. "I promise. I will always be here for you. Come, let us return to the cabin. I am sure Maddie must be upset at being alone with Cynthia."
Tanya giggled as she wiped her eyes. "Yeah! C'mon! Let's go!"
As the two girls walked away from the shore, several hundred yards out in the middle of the lake, a huge, dark hump broke the surface of the water for several seconds, then submerged.
That night, a caravan of six black SUV's headed north along the same route the buses of teenagers took earlier in the day.
These vehicles, five in each were filled with hard faced men, a mix of Japanese gangsters and European terrorists were silent the whole trip, each man keeping his thoughts to himself while the Asian and Frenchmen harbored suspicion of each other, forming an arms length partnership for this operation.
In the lead vehicle, Jean-Paul Rainer, in the passenger seat, turned to face Shinji Terada, seated behind him. "Those are some impressive weapons you got, Shinji. Might I ask how you got ahold of them?"
"We have....operatives in the States who intercepted those weapons, then arranged to have them shipped here," Terada explained. "Thanks to our contacts on the piers, we managed to get them past customs and into our hands. It was an expensive operation, Jean-Paul, but the payoff was worth it."
"I would agree," Yves grunted. "Those grenade launchers, plus all the muscle we've got should make seizing that camp a piece of cake."
"When do we make our move?" Philipe Desjardins asked. "Tonight?"
Rainer shook his head. "Tomorrow. I want our men to be well rested for this operation. Also, we'll need time to plan our siege so nothing goes wrong."
"I agree with your strategy, Jean-Paul," said a grinning Terada. "Why rush through this when a little planning can guarantee a huge payday."
That night in the spacious dining hall of the resort's main building, the large group gathered together for dinner and to meet each other. With the exception of a scowling Cynthia, everyone was enjoying themselves.
"May I have your attention, everyone!" said Mrs. Slaughter from the stage where she, Masao and a young man garbed in a red blazerssat at a table. "On behalf of the Tokyo High School Volleyball Conference, welcome! Represenatives from the Japanese and United States Olympic Volleyball teams have graciously donated their time to join us for this weekend's worth of clinics to foster better understand and appreciation for this great sport that brought us all together."
That brought a large round of applause from the kids and volunteers at their tables. Mrs. Slaughter waited a few seconds for the applause to subside before she continued.
"Seated with me on the stage are the captains of the U.S. and Japanese teams, Brad Powell and Masao Watanabe. Please give them a warm hand."
Powell, a tall, lanky blond with an easy smile stood along with Masao as they approached the podium. "Thank you for welcoming us into your beautiful country," Powell began. "The purpose of this weekend camp is to not only promote our sport for the 2004 Games, but to foster friendship between our peoples. And there's no better way to accomplish that than through spirited athletic competition. So, get ready to have a lot of fun!"
More applause rang out. At one of the tables, Tanya was in wide eyed awe as she clapped.
"Wow! I can't believe it! Brad Powell!" she said breathlessly. "It's really him! EEEEEEE! I think I've died and gone to heaven!"
"Yeah! Me too!" Maddie cried. "This is insanely cool!"
Talia stared puzzledly at her friends. "Pardon me, but I am at a loss to understand your infatuation with that gentleman."
The girls stared at Talia in stunned disbelief. "Are you serious? Brad's only the top hardcourt volleyball player in the States!" Tanya explained.
"Yeah! And he ain't bad on the eyes either! Whoo hoo!" Maddie added.
Talia simply shrugged. "If you say so."
From several tables away, Cynthia, sitting with Chris, glared at the threesome, her heart filled with rage. Chris noticed that right away.
"Sis, why don't you give it a rest," said Chris. "Everyone loses, even me. Don't get so worked up over this."
Cynthia leveled her glare on Chris. "Mind your own business! I will not let Cambridge get away with embarrassing me again!"
Chris became concerned. He had never seen his sister so worked up before. "Cindy, enough. We're supposed to having fun here, making contacts for the U.S. volleyball team, not going on some vengeance kick."
"Maybe you're not, but I am! I won't rest until I've beaten Cambridge!"
"How? By forming another female goon squad like this afternoon?"
Cynthia smirked. Chris found that disturbing. "That, dear brother, is for me to know, and you to find out."
Seated at the next table, Aoki, casually sipping on spring water overheard the conversation between the Van Buren kids. The young patrolman didn't quite know what to make of what Cynthia had said. Was she just blowing smoke, or did she have something planned? Aoki decided to keep an eye on her.
Two hours later, following a scrumptious buffet dinner and meeting many of the kids and athletes from both the U.S. and Japanese Olympic teams, Tanya and Talia retreated to the lounge to do what normal teenage girls do. They called their boyfriends.
"Yeah, yeah. I promise not to talk to any other guys while I'm here," said Tanya. "You know my heart belongs to you and only you, Yaten. Sheesh! You're so silly when you're jealous! I love you too. Now stop yakking and put Seiya on the line, Tal wants to talk to him. 'Bye."
Tanya winked as she handed the phone to Talia. "Your turn."
"Thank you." Talia, feeling slightly nervous, took a deep breath before she spoke into the receiver. "Seiya?"
"Hi, angel," said Seiya on the other end. Talia's heart started beating faster at hearing the voice of the boy she was deeply in love with. "How are you doing up there? Ti hasn't gotten you in any trouble, has she?"
"None so far, beloved," Talia replied. "I....I miss you. Terribly."
"I miss you too, darling. I can't wait for you to come back home."
"Really?"
"Really. I feel so lonely when you're away from me."
"My heart also feels empty when I am apart from you, beloved. I long to see you on Sunday. Perhaps we can go dancing when I return."
Seiya chuckled. "Anything you want, Tal. See you soon."
"So long, Seiya. I love you."
"I love you too, my sweet angel. 'Bye."
Tanya was grinning when Talia hung up the phone. "Heart beating just a little faster after talking to your sweetie?"
Talia tried not to blush, but couldn't help herself. "Er, yes. It felt good to talk to Seiya." Talia then hugged herself and giggled delightedly. "He said he loved me. I enjoyed hearing that most of all."
"Boy! You sure have it bad, girl!" said Tanya with a chuckle. She was happy to see her stoic alien friend acting so human. "But hey! That's what being in love is all about. It's really great that you're experiencing it."
"Indeed. And I have you to thank for my happiness."
"Aww! It was nothing. C'mon. Let's head back to the cabin. I'm ready for a hot bath before going to bed."
"Preferably without having to deal with Cynthia," Talia added.
Tanya chuckled. "Amen to that, sister!"
On the other side of the lake in a thickly wooded area, two teenage boys, out camping came down to the shore and stared out at the water.
"Man! What a sight!" said one of the boys, tall and scrawny with scraggly hair and a soul patch. "I wish I had brought my new digital camera along! This would make a great nighttime shot!"
The boy's friend, slightly shorter and stockier, chuckled. "You and your photography! I'll bet you sleep with the darn thing, Takeo."
"Don't laugh, Hidemi! One of these days, I'm gonna be the most famous photographer in Japan!" Takeo proudly boasted. His eyes then lit up as an idea came to mind. "Hey! Let's go for a swim!"
"Right here?" a startled Hidemi asked.
"Sure! Why not? The only people around here for miles are at that fancy resort on the other side of the lake, and it's too far away for anyone to see us!" Takeo explained. "Besides, I wanna wash off all this dirt from our hike. C'mon, dude! Unless you're chicken!"
"Who said anything about being chicken?"
Takeo made clucking sounds as he took off his clothes. "Two thousand yen says I can swim out to the middle of the lake and back before you can!"
Hidemi smirked. "Two grand? You're on, sucker! I was top dog on the school swim team! I'm gonna smoke your ass!"
Laughing, the boys stripped down to their boxers and dashed into the lake and began swimming out to the center of the lake, their strong strokes propelling them through the water. But the vibrations through the water attracted the attention of the resident from deep below them. Stirring from a light slumber, it sensed activity above it and, angered, ascended to greet whatever had disturbed its rest.
After only a few minutes, the boys reached the center of the lake. The coldness of the water sapped their strength, so they paused to rest. Seperated by some ten yards, the boys waded while breathing hard from their exertion.
"Whew! That was tough!" said Hidemi.
Takeo snorted. "I thought you said you were hot stuff! What a crock!"
"That's right, chump! Keep on dissing me! I'll show you what I'm made of!" Hidemi retorted. "You ready to go back?"
No response. Hidemi whirled around in the direction of Takeo's voice but didn't see him. Hidemi looked all around, but his friend was nowhere in sight.
"Takeo? Where are you? What are you trying to pull?" Hidemi growled, annoyed as he thought his friend was playing a game. "Come out! Now!"
No response. Hidemi was worried now.
"Takeo! This ain't funny, you prick! Come on out!"
The sound of rushing water from behind made Hidemi turn around. What he saw coming at him with all the speed of a torpedo made his eyes widen and he froze in place, his brain refusing to believe what his eyes were seeing.
"No way, man! No way!" he whispered, just before the monstrous shape devoured him whole like it did his friend.
Saturday morning, five thirty a.m....
Six SUV's quietly came to a stop at the main gate of the resort just before daybreak. The twenty men inside, all garbed in black combat fatigues and sporting weapons were silent since they had already been given their orders by their leaders, so there was no need for talking.
After arriving at the entrance, the vehicles split up into five different directions while the lead car stayed where it was. Inside the car, Rainer scanned the main lodge through night vision binoculars. Given the early hour, he could see no movement outside the lodge, nor any from the many cabins that surounded the large building. He nodded, pleased with what he saw.
"Just like we planned, Terada. Quiet as a church mouse," he said to his Japanese cohort as he lowered the glasses. "Nothing's moving."
Terada grinned. Equally pleased. "That's good to hear, Jean-Paul. How long before your people are in position?"
The Frenchman consulted his watch. "Ten minutes, tops. Once we've secured the perimeter, we shut this place down tight. Nothing gets in, or out."
"Still, we'll have to move quickly to round up the hostages before someone calls for help," said Yves from the back seat.
"Don't worry. The nearest police station is twenty miles away," said Philipe. "Once we have our prisoners, the authorities won't move against us for fear of our harming someone. This will work like a charm."
Yves snorted. "It's my job to worry. You handle money, Philipe, I handle tactics. I'll be happy once we've gotten our money and escaped."
"I couldn't agree more," said Rainer. He pulled a Beretta handgun from a shoulder holster and chambered a round. "Now to wait for the signal. Then we go to work."
Talia, never one to toss and turn in her sleep was doing just that.
For the last hour, the Vulcan girl felt a presence lurking on the furthermost reaches of her mind, an ancient and menacing presence. The presence wasn't evil, but it was dangerous, and, above, all, hungry. Very hungry. Even though it was lurking on the outskirts of her consciousness, Talia could feel its malevolence. She sensed the presence coming closer, longing to devour her. With a gasp, Talia's eyes snapped open as she abruptly awakened.
Talia, breathing heavily and shivering slightly looked around her at the darkened surroundings of the bedroom. She started to rise, but was restricted by an arm draped across her chest. Talia looked to her right where she saw Tanya softly snoring next to her. Carefully moving Tanya's arm, Talia sat up and looked to her left where Maddie was asleep in the other bed. With the vindictive Cynthia having locked Maddie out of the room she shared with her, Tanya offered to let Maddie bunk with her and Talia.
Getting out of bed, Talia walked over to the window. Her brows furrowed as the Vulcan girl attempted to ascertain the meaning of what she perceived as a dream. Talia was convinced that something touched her subconscious mind, the powerful presence of a being somewhere close by. The Vulcan girl was aware that her empathic abilities were strongest when her conscious mind was at rest, yet she had never sensed so strong a presence before. Her face set, Talia quickly dressed. She had to go out and find the presence.
Just then, Tanya stirred. Groggy from sleep, the ebon beauty opened her eyes and gazed in puzzlement at the Vulcan girl. "Tal? What time is it?"
"Five thirty one a.m., Tanya. I am going out," Talia replied.
Even half asleep, Tanya sensed something wrong. "Why? What's up?"
"Nothing that should concern you."
"Bull!" whispered Tanya, sitting up. "You've got that 'damn-the-torpedoes-there's-something-I have-to-investigate' look on your face. Just like when we went poking through the subway looking for Professor Okada's underground hideout. I'm coming with you."
"That is not necessary."
"Yes it is! How many times do I have to say this before it registers in your thick Vulcan skull? You're my partner! Where you go, I go! End of discussion!" Tanya snapped as she got out of bed. "I'll be dressed in a couple of minutes! Wait for me! That's an order!"
Talia shook her head, trying hard not to smile. Even though it was not logical to feel the way she did, it warmed her heart to have such an unshakably loyal and devoted friend like Tanya. "Yes, ma'am."
Careful not to make any noise that might be heard by early risers, Talia and Tanya moved stealthily through the woods.
"Maddie's gonna freak when she wakes up and finds us gone," Tanya whispered to the Vulcan girl. "What's the deal anyway?"
"As you know, in addition to my telepathic powers, I also possess empathic abilities as well," explained Talia as she led Tanya in the direction of the lake. "While I was sleeping, my subconscious mind briefly touched another mind. That of a....presence, a being of great power, and malevolence. I believe this being is very close to us."
Hearing that, Tanya shuddered. "A youma?"
"I am not sure. I could not discern that this being is actuallly evil. Only that it is menacing. And hungry."
"Oh, boy. The more I hear, the less I like," Tanya said nervously.
Talia reached for Tanya's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "There is no need for alarm. Because I am an adolescent, my empathic powers are not fully developed. It is entirely possible that I am mistaken about this entity."
"Yeah! Right! You being mistaken about anything happens about as often as Serena gets straight A's! Do you have any idea what this thing is?"
Talia shook her head. "None."
Tanya squeezed her friend's hand tight. "Great. Just great."
"You did insist on coming along," Talia pointed out.
"Don't remind me! Where are we going?"
"To the lake. I believe what we are seeking is there."
As the two girls made their way through the foilage, Talia stopped short and motioned to Tanya to hide behind a tree with her. That left the ebon beauty puzzled.
"What is it?" she asked.
Talia placed an index finger to her lips. "I heard footsteps."
"So what? Maybe someone's taking an early morning walk."
"Perhaps. In any event, I would prefer we not be seen."
"Why?"
"Call it....woman's intuition."
Moments later, two figures dressed from head to toe in black, complete with balaclavas to hide their faces came through the brush, moving slowly and stealthily. Tanya's eyes widened at seeing each man holding a short barreled version of a Russian AK-47 submachine gun in their fists. Talia and Tanya were rock still as the men crept to within seven feet of where they were hiding. Only after the men had passed did Tanya, holding her breath exhaled.
"Holy cow!" she whispered. "Who the heck were those guys?"
"Miscreants," Talia calmly replied. "The weapons they carried were of Soviet Bloc manufacture, leading to the suspicion that they might be terrorists."
"Terrorists? Oh, no! And they're headed for the cabins! We'd better transform and take them down!"
Just as the girls were about to summon their transformation pens, they heard from behind them, the unmistakable sound of a rifle bolt being slid back, loud and chilling in the stillness of the early morning.
"Raise your hands and turn around. Slowly. Make so much as a sound and you're both dead," a French accented voice growled.
The girls reluctantly complied. Turning around, Talia and Tanya found themselves staring down three black garbed men, their rifles trained at them.
TO BE CONTINUED